Growing up S-class
by Patchwork Snowflake
Summary: There are many what if stories out there with Sakura. What if Sakura was raised by Sasori, a cousin with the hair to match her fire? What if her sole influences were the ninjas of the Akatsuki? And what if there was never a Team 7, only Sakura no Akatsuki and her ten senseis? Warning: Screwed up timeline, crazy author, blood, gore, slow buildup and eventual SasuSaku and SakuNeji
1. Red

Some simple math explains everything.

Sakura-Konohagakure = No Sasuke = No annoying fangirl

_Sakura+Sasori_ (as a cousin) = Epic female puppeteer

Sakura+ Akatsuki+ Early training = decent kunoichi

Idea of first three equations+10 hours of writing= Good plotline

Happy readers+ Awesome Review= more chapters ;D

Oh, and I know I'm about to royally screw up the timeline, so ignore all the ages and stuff. Yes, Sasori is 19 years older than Sakura, but I tweaked a lot of things here so that it will make sense.

* * *

The wagon was uncomfortable. Sakura would much rather sit on the backs of one of the stout ponies pulling the wretched wooden contraption. They were very good mares, too. If anything, being the daughter of the best horse merchants in all of Kirigakure gave you plenty of experience with the animals; especially in determining their health and age. The two mix breeds providing them their transport were no older than four years old if her observations held true, and the sleek, smooth coats indicated a balanced diet.

Right now, however, she was stuck being jolted and bucked around, her head occasionally knocking painfully into the splintery roof. The cushions beneath her didn't do much for her comfort. This route, according to Mama, was the sole link between two very popular trading posts. _So why was it so miserable to travel on? Surely people would've seen it fit to upkeep the path._

The five year old sighed. Good thing they were switching over to camels once they reached the desert. Mama had said so, and she would never lie when it comes to Sakura's questions. Sakura had only seen the strange animals once, a long time ago, when they had to meet up with their Sunagakure relatives at Suna's border. She hoped the cute creatures were like how she remembered them. She smiled slightly. Sunagakure shouldn't be so bad if there were camels there.

The thought of Suna brought her back to reality. Mama and Papa have wanted to get out of the Wave for as long as she could remember. Konohagakure had been their initial choice, since its weather was milder than Suna's and it was relatively closer. But it seemed that many refugees from the Wave thought the same, too. The path between the Wave and Hi no Kuni was now one of the most dangerous roads to travel on thanks to it being filled with the Mizukage's patrols, all of them intent of capturing any refugees. Besides, Papa's mother was in Sunagakure, and even though her father and grandmother haven't been on speaking terms for awhile, it was still better than nothing. So Suna it was.

And Sakura knew why her parents were so eager to leave. It wasn't so hard, piecing things together. The Fourth Mizukage had begun purging all the clans with any working kekkei genkai since sometime during her birth. It had started with only a few minor changes. And then things just kept escalating, until their monster of a leader just outright executed tens and hundreds of people in public settings, forcing everyone within the vicinity of one of these massacres to attend. Those who did not were given the free opportunity to become the star of the next mass execution.

Sakura had only been to only two of those massacres, and the cries and screams of the children present still haunted her dreams today. She shuddered. Mizukage-sama was certainly a very creative man when it came to killing. There had been so much blood, _so _much blood, leaking down the cracked pavement already wet from rain until it soaked her shoes into that crimson color she hated so much now. The shudders turned into trembles, and Sakura found herself unable to stop her fear-induced spasms.

* * *

Mama Haruno noticed this. It wasn't the first time that Sakura fell into one of these shaking spells. Really, there were better things for four year olds to do than to watch people being tortured in the most inhumane ways possible. The woman herself still had macabre thoughts running through her head time to time from watching those "executions". Her expression darkened at the mere notion of them. She pulled her trembling daughter close, and wrapped her arms reassuringly around the child. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her husband throwing a worried glance in their direction.

She silently cursed the Fourth. It was bad enough that her once prosperous business consisting of hundreds of mares and sires had dwindled to a couple of horses over the course of just a few years, deteriorating along with the Haruno's influence. It was even more unforgivable that Sakura was exposed to something so terrible at such a young age. But the man just _had _to go overboard and give her child a seemingly incurable phobia of the color red.

The fear itself wasn't that bad- but _that _was the problem. It was the memories triggered by seeing the color that did the damage.

There were so many incidents where it interfered with her child's everyday life. She couldn't eat red meats because of her strange phobia, unless she was spared from seeing her food before it was prepared. She would freak out whenever she received the tiniest of wounds, and it was even worse when it happened to other people. It didn't help that her husband's hair color was a vibrant shade red, and Sakura would freeze every time her gaze wandered upwards from her father's smiles.

Because of that, she was actually dreading the moment Sakura was reunited with her cousin. If the family photos her husband had shown her were accurate, than she would probably faint the moment she laid eyes on his hair.

_Curse the Fourth. Curse him to the deepest pits of hell._

After a few minutes, Sakura had managed to divert her mind away from the unholy color, with the help of her mother and Inner Sakura. Inner was always there to help, no matter how annoying she is sometimes.

_**Hey, it's not my fault that your mom thinks I'm your imaginary friend.**_

Sakura giggled softly at the comment, and wriggled playfully out of her mother's grasp. Then, she reached down and rummaged through the little bag lying next to her feet, pulling out a tiny leather-bound book. A tutor had taught her how to read and write as soon as she began speaking. Contrary to popular practices which favored boys over their female counterparts, Mama firmly believed that girls had the full right to being literate. Sakura had spent hours and hours during the past year with her hired tutor writing kanji and forming her own phrases.

Though it had cost them a fortune to find the tutor, Mama Haruno firmly believed that it was worth it. Her daughter was quite a voracious reader, interested by anything recorded on paper, be it shipping records or fairy tales.

She had a feeling that the ridiculous amount of information her daughter was absorbing would save her life some day.

A shrill scream that eerily resembled their driver's voice pierced their rather silent journey, followed by two alarmed neighs that belonged to the mares. The book in Sakura's hands was dropped in alarm, and it fell silently onto the bottom of the cabriolet as all members of the Haruno family froze. Before anyone could react, the wagon tilted haphazardly to the side and Sakura slid into the wooden wall. It teetered for a few seconds as if mocking them, sending Sakura's heart rate off the charts, before abruptly regaining balance. Then, it fell to an ominous halt. A sound that sickeningly resembled the squelch of a blades being thrust into flesh sounded, and the driver screamed once more before he was cut off by a slice of the same blade.

Those noises were familiar to Sakura. It was like the time when a little girl, no older than eight and still dressed in her nightgown, was gagged with a rag and stabbed repeatedly for half an hour until her blood stained the post she was tied to a bloody red. By that time, her eyes had also been gouged out.

A fresh wave of nausea hit her, and Sakura clutched at her stomach to hold in the contents of her breakfast. Her breathing was irregular now, and she spared one of her hands to cover her mouth so that whatever had attacked them wouldn't hear her.

Without warning, a fist appeared beside her, and it took a moment for her brain to acknowledge that the wagon door had been punched in. Splinters of wood surrounded the fist like a demented halo, and without warning, the hand grabbed on to the handle of the door and _pulled it off_.

It revealed an _enormous _man, hovering around six feet, grinning maniacally to reveal his pointed teeth. Her eyes widened when she noticed that his skin was _blue_, as in _literally blue_, and that there were three symmetrical lines none too different from gills lining the skin below his large cheekbones. A bandaged sword was strapped to his back, its hilt peeking above his slicked blue hair, the spikes held back by a slashed Kirigakure forehead protector.

Mama began shaking next to her, and the color drained from Papa's face.

"Ooh, what a treasure I've found." The man began, his deep baritone sending tremors through her ribcage as he effortlessly tossed the piece of wood that was once their wagon door aside. "I'd thought you were just some spoiled group of mercenaries from Kiri, but if my information is right, you people are part of _the_ Haruno clan, horse traders."

The man laughed, a sound that was surprisingly light for someone his stature. It was almost as they were old friends, talking together over tea, rather than him scaring the crap out of them.

"What unusual hair." Sakura blinked, suddenly realizing that the man had a lock of her hair in between his _blue _fingers. He was tentatively stroking the soft strands with a _blue_ thumb that was the size of her wrist. For some reason, she didn't feel the least intimated by this action. She'd never met someone that was _blue_- and in her opinion, red was the opposite of blue. Maybe that was why she felt so relaxed by his presence.

Her parents, however, were still freaking out. "Hoshigake Kisame," Mama whispered.

The man lifted his gaze from her and turned towards Mama, not letting go of her hair. "Oh? It seems that I am quite famous." The man grinned at her, and then turned back to Sakura and cupped her chin with one hand. "Tell me, little girl. Have you heard of me?"

Sakura wasn't sure what to say. She was sure she'd read about him somewhere before, but it seemed that her photographic memory wasn't working right now. Was it something about swordsmen…?

Ah, that was it.

"You…you are one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, right?" Yes, she was sure now. There were three paragraphs that included a short biography for all of the current famous swordsmen in one of the books she'd snagged from their library back in Kiri.

The man ruffled her hair. "Ah, yes. What a good kid." He sounded satisfied.

There was a blur of red and brown and pale hand grasped the huge _blue _wrist, barely managing to circle half of the enormous width. Her hair fell back down to its place, fringing her neck. Sakura blinked, and suddenly she was looking straight into the messy red locks of her father.

"What. Do. You. Want." The words were each forced out like a rather unpleasant sip of bitter tea, and Sakura found herself unable to believe that _Papa_, the calmest, most relaxed person she knew,had said that.

And why was his other hand held out flat, surrounded by that weird green glowing light that formed a sharp point at the tips of his fingers?

"Pa..pa?" She managed to say, while curling into herself, withdrawing from the scary color of her Papa's hair.

The man, Kisame apparently, was smirking. "Chakra scalpels, eh? Excellent chakra control…just like your mother."

_Chiyo-baa-sama?_

"I asked you a question," The threat in his voice was gone now, but Sakura could still detect a hint of anger beneath her father's voice. She shuddered, remembering the time she'd broken one of their most expensive vases. "And I expect an answer."

The grin on Kisame's face darkened. "For the bounty on your head, of course. I need some cash right now."

Sakura felt her blood churn to ice and prick at her veins. Bounties were only placed on the scariest criminals and powerful members of the shinobi societies, people like missing-nins and kages. And when Kisame continued, the feeling of betrayal and doom became stifling.

"Forty thousand ryo pays better than most A-ranked missions back in the Wave."

_Forty thousand ryo?_ Sakura almost blanched. Who _was _Papa?

Said man responded by cocking his head slightly to the side, and then sending his unoccupied hand flying into the _blue _man's chest with the appendage curled into a fist. Kisame was sent skidding backwards meters away, kneeling to stop himself. Papa raced out of the carriage right after him, doing a flip in midair to land sideways to face his opponent. Kisame's pose dissolved into a crouch, slowing him down.

The smile never left Kisame's face, even as he stood ramrod straight once more and with one swift motion, the huge bandaged blade strapped to his back was gripped in his hand. Fluidly, he appeared before Papa and slashed at him.

Right before the blade touched him, though, Papa flipped backwards, successfully evading the first attack.

And thus the fight began.

* * *

As the last masked ninja from Suna fell dead from the sword wound that sliced his torso open like a skinned animal, Sasori paused to let himself catch his breath. He watched as the unknown body crumpled with a dull thud onto the ground, its fall cushioned by another two barely recognizable corpses below it.

The desert sunset and the desolate howling winds only added to the eerie, if not downright creepy effect that the field of over a hundred bodies had.

Panting, Sasori stepped away, only to step on a detached limb. Reacting fast and kicking the appendage away, he sealed his puppet into a large scroll and placed it inside the numerous folds of his robe. The metallic stench of blood in the air, magnified by the shimmering desert heat, was almost overwhelming- but then again, he has been through worse.

Today had been glorious. Today, he had finally shed the chains that were attached to him as a ninja of Sunagakure. Today, he had shed the blood of his comrades. Lots of it. He wouldn't be surprised if they called him Sasori no Akasuna from now on.

Wiping the blood on his away with his already filthy sleeve, the puppeteer smiled, his teeth glittering in the setting sun.

It was time to head out—he had a few plans to carry out before he joined the Akatsuki, after all.

With one last look at the bloody chaos before him, the ex-Suna nin walked away from the mess.

* * *

"No..." Sakura whispered, still unable to process the scene unfolding in front of her. There was too much blood, and the two bodies looked too much like her parents for her liking. She had abandoned the seat in the wagon a long time ago, pushed out from the undamaged door by her mother a second before Kisame reached in and grabbed the older woman.

"Run, Sakura!" her mother had shouted, even as she struggled in the missing-nin's grasp. Sakura had landed roughly on the Katon jutsu-charred road, scraping her knees and arms, slightly confused.

But it was a good thing that Mama Haruno had the common sense to do that. Because a second later, Mama Haruno let out a strangled, shrill scream. Sakura shuddered and flinched away from the sound, but her morbid curiosity won over her raw instincts. A moment later, her mind was made up and she crawled out from the other side of the wagon into the battlegrounds. She was just in time to witness Kisame grab her mother by the neck and rip her head off, blood showering everywhere.

"No," she whispered again. Kisame tossed her mother's body to the side as if it were a sack of potatoes. The corpse landed with a sickening thud, the blood still gushing out of her neck. Ignoring the disgusting color and the terrible man, Sakura got to her feet and ran, stumbling like a drunk towards the body.

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" Sakura screeched, using the logic that every child possesses in her sentence; if you deny it enough, it might not actually be happening. That wasn't the case in this situation.

She grasped the bloody hand of her mother and her it close to her chest, bawling in the process. In between sobs, she could get a clear view of her decapitated father, pinned to a nearby tree by an array of kunais. Parts of his intestines hung out from the large gash across his stomach. She could see bits of his kidneys, speared through by his skewed ribs.

She had already thrown up four times from watching the fight. By now, blood had lost its nauseating effect on her. There was no point in getting worked up from a sight that has become so familiar in the span of three hours.

A bittersweet mix of emotions churned in her at the sight of her father, some of which she didn't even understand. During the three hours of the painful battle, she had come to three realizations—her father was a shinobi, a _powerful _shinobi, and he had been hiding that fact from her for her entire life.

She was drawn out of her turmoil by a hand, grabbing her by the back of her shirt, snot and tears and all. It lifted her up and turned her around, forcing her to come face to face with the blue man. They stared at each other for awhile, Kisame panting and Sakura in bouts of hiccups.

Suddenly, the other large blue hand, stinking of blood and sweat, came up and toweled her entire face. It wiped away everything, leaving behind only flakes of dried blood.

"Kid," the blue man addressed, almost apologetically.

"It's _Haruno_-san for you," Sakura growled, the effect lost in her high pitched, childish voice.

The man laughed. It was a rougher and less amiable than before. "You should be glad I like you, squirt. Or else you would've joined your parents by now."

"_Glad_?" Sakura gasped disbelievingly, a burst of fury coursing through her. How dare this man? "You killed Papa and Mama! I _hate _you!" With the last exclamation, she pounded a tiny fist at the ninja's nose. In return, she received a numb feeling at the side of her hand. Frustrated, she started thrashing, swinging helplessly from Kisame's arm.

His eyes narrowed. "Child…" he growled. Sakura immediately stopped, but it wasn't because of the tone of the S-class ninja's voice. She had just seen a sliver of hope.

A few feet behind them, she spotted a redhead with an uncanny resemblance to her father. He looked at her blankly, but she ignored those details in favor of a possible rescue.

"Sa…sasori…" she murmured. Sasori's eyes widened. The hood of his purple robe was pulled back, giving a glimpse of his head. She had only seen pictures of her cousin, but she would recognize those lidded eyes and ruffled red hair anywhere. She can only pray that her cousin recognized her as well- perhaps granny Chiyo had a few pictures of her lying around somewhere in Suna?

Kisame whipped around, causing Sakura to swing precariously.

"Another Haruno?" Kisame mused aloud. He turned to examine her, and then to Sasori, and then back to Sakura.

Sasori's face was blank as he emerged from the trees, jumping down and landing in front of them.

"Hoshigake-san," he addressed. Sakura felt her insides grow cold….did her cousin know him?

* * *

"Ah, Sasori-san." Kisame had heard the child say the redhead's name earlier, and assumed that they were related. It was possible. When Leader had given him the mission to meet up with the newest addition to their organization, he never mentioned any family.

In fact, Pain didn't say much besides that the newest addition to their organization was a skilled puppeteer, a recent missing-nin from Sunagakure, and that Kisame could pick up a few bounties on the way if he felt like it. An evil organization couldn't just run off of charity from old ladies, after all. He really had nothing against the Haruno couple. They were just easy game, and sharks tend to chase after ptry that were weaker than they were.

But he did feel somewhat bad for the child, missing-nin or not. It _was _a little cruel to butcher her parents in front of her.

Sasori didn't seem too satisfied either. "Well, don't just stand there. Do you mind telling me what you are doing with the last relatives I have?" The puppeteer narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed.

_Very impatient_, Kisame noted. So far, this man was passing the Akasuna no Sasori test. Though tactics and deduction weren't his forte, Kisame had the common sense to at least do some research on the man that gave him a little more than the bare minimum Pain expected him to operate on. He smirked. Now, all he had to make sure was that Sasori had the violence and skill to back up his recently acquired title.

"So little Sakura-chan over here is your cousin?" he asked, obviously avoiding the hidden threat that the redhead gave him. If it were anyone else, Samehada would already be drawn. He wanted to toy with this one a little more.

By now, Sasori was more than a little ticked off. "Yes, she is." Pride was at stake here; if you weren't strong enough to protect even a little girl, you didn't deserve the title of an S-class missing nin. "And I cannot let you hurt a Haruno."

With speed that was unexpected from one that relied on ninja tools to fight, Sasori was a mere blur as he closed off the distance between them. Kisame, the combat specialist of the two, was experienced enough to predict that movement. He jumped back just in time to raise an arm defensively and avoid a slash at his stomach from a long dagger. But Sasori had already circled his arm around the little girl's stomach and tugged her away. The girl let out a little gasp as the puppeteer tore her from Kisame's grasp and took an enormous leap backwards. At the same time, Kisame landed heavily on the ground.

Sasori was glaring at him, and he reached his other hand into the inner fold of his cloak to pull out a scroll. Kisame noticed Sakura staring wide-eyed at the impossible nimbleness of Sasori's fingers as they trembled, unrolling a scroll with one hand faster than any normal person could with two hands.

Before Sasori could unseal any puppets, though, Kisame held up a hand.

"I concede, puppet master." He had already confirmed that the Sasori was the real deal.

Sasori paused, his eyes scanning over him suspiciously. People like the Tailless Bijuu didn't just give up a moment before the fight. "Why?"

"Now that I know you're the real thing and not just some wannabe imposter, I can carry on." Kisame shrugged. He crossed his arms in front of him and relaxed his posture. "I suppose you know of the Akatsuki, Sasori-san?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "Yes, we've been expecting you. Yesterday, Pain received the message your spy had sent us. I was sent out to retrieve you."

"Ah," Sasori nodded. His hand flickered and the scroll was gone. Then, he looked at Kisame expectantly, as if telling him to start leading the way to the Akatsuki base now.

"Not so fast, Akasuna. What are you going to do with the child?"

* * *

Not a single chapter in the manga/ episode in the manga has shown Sakura's parents directly, unless you count the new movie that's coming out in April. But ignoring that, there are many, many possibilities for Sakura's heritage. Hopefully, people won't get too confused.

I'm so excited to work on this story! R&R, plz. Oh, I didn't exactly edit the second part, so tell me if you spot any mistakes :P


	2. Scarlet

Thank you guys so much for the positive feedback!

Hope this chappie won't disappoint :3

* * *

"Hey, kid. Want some fish?" Kisame said softly. He was prodding her on the shoulder, waving a skewered trout near her face, but she was turned away from the man. Keeping in mind that Kisame was a six foot tall missing-nin with the reputation for his bloodiness and that Sakura was a five year old girl with a picky diet, the scene was rather funny.

Kisame poked her again, this time with slightly more force than the watchful Sasori nearby would've liked. Sakura almost fell over, but she planted an arm on the earth before she could tilt over. Then, sitting up, she refused to acknowledge the man, trying her best to tune his nagging out. To her right, the gently crackling fire warmed her chilled fingers and toes. She was exhausted from a day of trudging through the wet underbrush and being carried on Kisame's shoulder.

She felt her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier, and she fought to stay awake. Added on top of her exhaustion was the bare minimum amount of sleep she was getting. On her first night with the two ninjas, she had stayed up until dawn, trying hard not to fall asleep in fear of her life. After all, they had more ways to kill her than there were stars in the sky—and after counting for ten hours straight to verify all the books that she'd read, she could say that there were plenty.

Kisame looked at the tiny girl with a mixture of annoyance and slight pity. The mint chips she had for eyes once gleamed with jovial naivety, but that had slowly faded out over the past few days, as if the child was processing what fate had just thrown upon her. Exchanging your parents for two dangerous criminals was a hard transition, after all.

It had been two days since the trio had left the broken carriage, leaving the bodies of what used to be Sakura's family behind. They had only set off after Sasori and Kisame came to a compromise that Sakura won't be killed until they've reached Amegakure, where Pain would initiate Sasori into the Akatsuki.

But what is he going to do with her after they've reached the base? Kisame still had no idea how Sasori will convince Leader-sama to let the girl stay.

Actually, he had no idea why the girl was tagging along with them at all. Sasori didn't even seem to know his "cousin" that well. Even if Sasori was too emotionally attached to her to let go, he could've dropped her off at Sunagakure. It would've been a lot safer for everybody. So far, Kisame was surprised they haven't been attacked by bounty hunters or Suna-nin yet.

And that wasn't even considering what will happen in the long run. He couldn't believe that Sasori was going to propose something _that _extravagant to a leader he hasn't even met yet…

The large man scowled in annoyance. There were some things that he'll probably never understand about the peculiar ex-Suna-nin; one day, he'll be your ally, narrating his kekkei genkai to you without a hint of distrust, and the other, he'll be giving you the silent treatment.

After seeing that Sakura would probably never respond, he took out a small knife and started to cut off chunks of the steaming fish, making them small enough so that she could chew on a piece at a time.

Kisame didn't even bother to watch where the small sharp knife was cutting, instead settling his attention on the tiny girl. She looked about as alive as one of those puppets Sasori carried around, but that could've been an after affect of the memory seal Sasori stuck on her earlier. He was no Fuinjutsu Master, but he was sure that the enormous patchwork of ink that Sasori had carefully transferred onto Sakura's scalp days prior was no small feat.

* * *

"_Not so fast, Akasuna. What are you going to do with the child?" Kisame smiled mirthlessly, flashing pointy white teeth at the puppeteer. "Do you seriously expect _us_, two S-class missing nin, to bring a mere _child _to the Akatsuki base?"_

_Sasori was unfazed by the tone of his voice. "I have my reasons, Hoshigake-san. This," he gestured at the girl, who was now quivering uncontrollably. "Like I said, is the last member of the Haruno clan, aside from my grandmother and me."_

"_And why does that matter?" Kisame crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to back down._

_Sasori's gaze darkened for a moment. "Do you know _why _her family was fleeing?"_

"_It must have something to do with the Mizukage's clan purges, right?"_

"_Correct."_

"…_And?"_

"_Sakura possesses a kekkei genkai ,and that bloodline limit entails many things. It includes near perfect chakra control, which is particularly beneficial to healing jutsu and utilizing chakra strings."_

_Kisame chewed on that for a second and then….It hit him. Many bloodline limits were very powerful; judging from the skill class of him and his relatives, the one Sasori has is probably one of them. And said man was planning to exploit the fact that the child was the last individual holding the same bloodline as him! Why else would someone like Akasuna no Sasori describe the details of his bloodline limit to a potential enemy like him? _

"_Go on." Kisame pushed, willing the man to give up more information._

_Sasori hesitated ."There are…two different ways one can inherit this bloodline. One is receiving the more sedate skills, like the perfect chakra control that my Grandmother and I have. And the other is more….volatile." Sasori paused, and lifted the hiccupping girl so that her eyes were level with his as he spoke, his voice taking on a lighter quality. "As far as I know, the second way comprises of everything the first way has and-" he stopped, as if realizing that he was throwing away his family secrets._

"_And, it is known to skip generations and show up in females more often, meaning that Sakura will receive the more dangerous form of our heritage. I think Leader and the Akatsuki will find her skills useful in the future." He phrased carefully, diplomatically leading the subject away from the details of the kekkei genkai._

_Kisame eyed the girl warily as the puppeteer finished speaking. From the sound of it, that was all Sasori was willing to tell him…but what could the bloodline possibly be to make Sasori of the Red Sand speak of it with such reverence?_

_He was intrigued. There were so many possibilities for the girl…_

"_Now that I've basically told you almost everything I know about my own bloodline limit, are we free to go now?" Sasori asked with a sarcasm that Kisame didn't know he had, tucking the child back under his arm._

_Kisame cleared his throat, sliding Samehada into its holster on his back at the same time. "Yes, Akasuna-san. We will head-"_

"_NO! I AM NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU PEOPLE!" The girl screamed, spirit rekindled, thrashing wildly in her cousin's one armed grip. "LET ME GO!"_

_Sasori grabbed a fistful of dirty pink hair, forcing the child to look at him. "Quiet, child! I do not have time for your whining!"_

_Kisame watched with amusement as the girl piped down, still whimpering hysterically with grief and confusion._

"_You know, Akasuna, I really don't think the girl will trust you or any of the Akatsuki. Unless you make her magically forget everything that happened in the past few hours, that is."_

_A glimmer of amusement danced in the puppeteer's expression. "That is precisely what I will do. Watch."_

_With inhumane speed, Sasori whipped out a large storage scroll from somewhere inside his robe. Working quickly, he quickly unsealed a large makeshift work table, strapping Sakura face down on the wooden surface with a few cords of rope. He then sent a wave of chakra to her brain to shut select parts of it down, effectively making her lose consciousness._

_Finally, he took out a large brush, a pot of ink, and a large wad of paper notes._

"_Give me an hour, and I'll make her forget every single thing that happened in the past three days." _

* * *

He had to admit that Sasori knew quite a deal about line of work required intimate knowledge of Fuinjutsu, with all the traps and tricks in those wooden puppets.

His musings were cut short after chopping up about half of the fish, when he realize what he was doing.

Was he about to feed a child?

Glancing down at his hands, the hands that only shed blood and broke necks, he almost blanched in surprise. Growing up, Kisame had no siblings, nor was he close to anyone younger than him. Never has he felt the empathy for any other member of the human race. For him, all relationships were either mutually beneficial or nonexistent.

But now… he set the fish chunks down on a small plate he carried with him in a cutlery set and hurriedly wiped his hands.

Now, he supposed he should feed the kid.

With one hand, he pried her lips open, ignoring the sudden gasps of protest. Then, he took a chunk and shoved it in her mouth, mashing the flaky meat on her teeth. After a moment, Sakura opened her jaw and gingerly took the fish between her teeth, starting to chew.

Sakura had been jolted out of her sleepy meditation by the man's new attempts at making her eat. Surprised, she took the piece of fragrant meat from his fingers and began chewing. She looked towards the man that had just fed her, but he had already turned away, shaking his head. Next to her hand was a plate with the rest of the fish chunks on it. A pair of well-sculpted pink eyebrows rose at the sight, accompanied by widening eyes. For a second she just stared. _No, he couldn't have. He isn't nice enough._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glint a little way from the fire, a metallic reflection bouncing off of the hunting knife Kisame carried around. She peered a little closer at it, and discerned a tiny sheen of grease on the metal.

At the same moment, she felt something flare up inside her, warming her up more effectively in less than a second than the fire had in the past hour, like a warm cup of tea. Thinking back on it, she knew she couldn't have distinguished what the feeling had been at that time—but what Kisame had given her was the tiniest sliver of hope, like cracking the door of a cell open by a fraction to let light seep through and shine over the long forgotten prisoner.

The warmth faded away almost just as fast, though, when Kisame spoke again.

"I'd eat that if I were you, unless you'd like to become reduced to chunks just like that fish."

Fearing for her life, Sakura grabbed the plate and began to stuff her face with the meat. She ate in muted horror at first, but gradually let her hunger take over. Her last meal had been in the carriage, a few pieces of cold onigiri and a cup of barley tea. The fish was flaky and had just the right amount of salt to bring out best of the savory flesh. _Maybe they taught all the ninja how to cook in the Mist._ Her meal was quickly finished, and she sat by the fire for awhile, not caring that oil had stained her mouth and hands.

Just as she was nodding off into the tangents of sleep, a white towel was flung into the side of her face, and Sakura cried out in pain. A cup with a toothbrush was also tossed into her lap, the metal clinking against her worn travel pants.

"There's a river outside the clearing, kid. Go wash up." Kisame commanded. "I hate greasy people. They're all either fat bastards or annoying kids."

Sakura obediently rose, deliberately ignoring his rudeness. She plucked the towel from her face and mechanically grabbed the cup and marched slowly out of the clearing. The forest was dark, but Sakura wasn't afraid. Not many things can scare her anymore.

It took her barely a minute to find the small trickle of water, and she splashed some of it on her face. It was cold, and the caress of its icy touch was enough to make gooseflesh form on her arms.

She took her time cleaning up, blissfully unaware that her memories were slowly being locked away by Sasori's meddling.

* * *

**Eh…this chapter was kinda like a prelude to the next one. R&R!**


	3. Crimson

Thanks to all my reviewers/followers/favoriters! You guys make me smile, seriously.

New reviews/criticisms are always welcome.

Note: This story is going to have a VERY slow buildup…as you can see.

* * *

Kisame cleared his throat, knocking on the door frame. Two heads of messy hair, one pink and the other russet red, turned towards him.

"I'm back," he said, addressing Sakura and Sasori. The girl was curled up in the corner of the giant window ledge, and Sasori was on the opposite side of the hotel room, looking up from his large notepad on the scratched desk. "But I'm heading out again. I'll return before nightfall. We'll set off for Amegakure then."

"You've already been gone for two days." Sasori said before going back to scribbling, the sunrise behind him enhancing the fiery color of his hair. "If you're departing again, go ahead. Sakura and I will manage on our own."

Kisame almost rolled his eyes at Sasori's dismissive antics. The man was about as friendly as a bald, ill-tempered vulture; and he was absolutely _terrible _company. _Not that I care._ They were both working towards their own means by joining the Akatsuki; Sasori so he can conduct more…research on his puppets, and Kisame so he can enjoy the thrill of taking another's life.

But he wasn't sure if he even enjoyed that anymore. There's something…odd going on with his recent bloodsheds. Last time, while he was twisting a kunai into the heart of an unsuspecting man at the back of a dirty shop, he couldn't help but to compare his screams to Sakura's. Each time he had elicited one from him, he heard the high, piercing, heartbroken wail that she'd let out upon seeing her dead parents…

"Hoshigaki," Sasori's voice brought him back to reality. "Are you going to stand there all day?"

Kisame jolted out of his thoughts, recovering quickly to sneer at Sasori. "Well, _excuse me_, Sasori-sama. I'll be leaving now." He was tempted to say goodbye to Sakura as well, but the mere thought of him doing that disgusted him. He was the Monster of the Mist, for God's sake!

So he gave the sitting girl one last check before he left the puppet master's room, closing the door behind him. This will probably be the last day of traveling. Soon, they'll enter the borders of the Rain Country, and they will reach the Akatsuki's base in Amegakure within a day.

He was actually relieved that it was over. Once the girl and the puppeteer arrived at the base, Leader will be responsible for them and all their fancy kekkei genkai drama. And after that, he can take a few more solo missions to wean himself off of the child for good.

Leaving the tiny, battered inn behind, Kisame delved into the empty streets of the tiny village and set out to find his new target, cracking his knuckles. One last kill and then he'll be free from this wretched mission.

* * *

Sakura watched the tall blue man from the window, pressing her nose against the cold glass. He looked familiar, really familiar, but she couldn't quite recall where and when she met him. "Nii-san, who is he again?" She asked, turning around."I think I saw him yesterday, but…"

Her cousin's hand clenched on the pen he was holding. "His name is Hoshigaki Kisame, chil- I mean, imouto (A/N: little sister)."

"Oh yeah! The swordsman shark!" She clapped her hands together, excited to correctly recall his identity. Her face fell again soon and she pouted. "Nii-san (A/N: Brother. She's only calling him that out of respect/courtesy), don't you think it's weird that I'm forgetting everything?"

"Your memory will improve over time." Sasori said simply, not even looking up from his work.

"What about Kisame? Why is he traveling with us? Isn't he a nukenin?"

Her cousin's hand twitched. "You ask too many questions." He said coldly.

Sakura realized that her cousin would be busy working for another whole day. But she couldn't let him do that! She had nothing to do in this place! Even though her cousin wasn't the type who liked to play, she still tiptoed as softly as she can behind the stool he was sitting on.

"Boo!" She jumped up and attached herself to his back, wrapping her arms around him. "Got you!"

A second later, she was tossed unceremoniously onto the bed, and a very angry Sasori was fixating a glare on her.

"Don't do that again, unless you want me to cut your arms off." He hissed.

Sakura blinked, staring at her icy cousin. _He's just trying to scare me_, she decided eventually, bouncing slightly on the mattress. But she hasn't given up yet. "I was playing, Nii-san…"

She waited a while.

When he didn't respond, she continued, this time putting on a genuine look of sadness. She sighed. "Why did Kisame say we're going to Amegakure? My parents are in Suna! When are you taking me to papa and mama? They should be there right now…"

This time, a pained look flashed across her brother's features before it dissolved again. She purposely ignored the fiery color in his hair. Slowly, he looked up and stared into her eyes, chocolate brown boring into her jade greens.

"I have a confession to make." He said solemnly. "Your parents are dead, Sakura." _Something else we have in common, _the puppeteer thought.

* * *

She froze.

His words range over and over in her ears—_your parents are dead, your parents are dead, your parents are dead._ It formed a malicious chant in her head, pounding to the pulse of her rabbit heart.

Her mother had always told her to be rational, to think before believing with what other people told her. It _is _true that Sasori and Kisame were dangerous. She carefully combed through her memory- the last thing she remembered before waking up in a forest clearing was leaving for Suna with her parents…

But she would have _remembered _it if he'd lost her parents.

Sasori sensed her growing panic, and he move to sit next to her. "I took you into my care after they died…and you lost your memory only because of the shock of their deaths." He patted her on the arm.

Sakura couldn't help it anymore—she started to cry.

* * *

Arms acting by themselves, Sasori drew the crying child into an unexpected hug.

He had lost his parents once, too, and he knew how much it broke him—something inside of him stirred at the sight.

This was a _five year old child,_ his cousin nonetheless, with his blood coursing through her veins. For the past few days, he had been ignoring the fact. He remembered his grandmother telling her aloof grandson that it is inevitable for someone to harbor another's feelings in their lifetime. He remembered scoffing at her frail frame, thinking that it was impossible.

He supposed she was right this once.

So he vowed to himself that he will protect and train her, mold her into a fine ninja…

"Shh," he whispered, softly stroking her hair. Chiyo would do that too, when he was little. "It's okay. My parents left this world when I was your age, too. Your uncle and aunt, they were fine people…" he trailed off. "Come, we'll go for a walk."

Without waiting for a reply, Sasori scooped the tiny child into his arms and carried her outside.

* * *

"Mother! I want a new lantern!"

"Is that the newest Icha Icha book? I can't believe they have it!"

"Did captain say we can by some sake?"

"Oi! Help me with the banners, will you?"

It turned out that they were in time for the village's annual festival. The atmosphere was bursting with barely concealed excitement, and people dressed in their best kimonos bustled about on the large streets, setting up stands and attractions, laughing and shouting.

Sakura was still clutching to Sasori as they traversed through the streets, sniffling into his robes. Strangely, the missing-nin let her stay.

In the beginning, she wanted to go back to the hotel and cry, but the festive mood in the air was infectious. Back in the Wave, she'd never seen such a thing—most of the time, the atmosphere was depressing, like attending a constant funeral. She was fascinated by so much happiness in the air…

And she didn't even mind the multitudes of red around them. This time, she knew it wasn't an omen of blood or gore or tyranny. In this world, it symbolized bliss.

After realizing that, she sat comfortably in Sasori's grasp for awhile, letting him carry her around. She supposed it was a bit silly for him to be carrying a little girl around, but no one seemed to mind them.

It didn't take long for her to snap out of her reverie. Once she saw a shop that sold yukatas, all hell broke loose. Like a typical young girl, she gave a small cry and scrambled out of her cousin's arms and practically flew inside the door, admiring each and every garment in the store.

All the shops that the Mizukage considered worthless were burned—including most clothing stores, save the essential ones.

"It's so pretty…." She was too busy worshiping a periwinkle silk kimono to notice Sasori taking out a wad of money and walking over to the shopkeeper.

* * *

Two hours later, Sakura skipped happily through the growing crowd, dressed cleanly in a new kimono. Her companion wasn't far behind her. A big smile was plastered to her face. She held a large red lantern in one hand, and in the other, skewers of dango from the remnants of a delicious luncheon. A messenger bag hung across her shoulders, filled with books that she'd picked out.

She was happy for the first time in a long while.

Sasori tailed behind her, keeping track of her chakra signature. Honestly, he was getting pretty bored.

He thought that she had entered the bookstore earlier out of curiosity—but it seemed that Sakura was a bookworm. So he had shoved a few scrolls about ninjutsu and basic chakra exercises in the purchase. She'll find them sooner and later. Sakura was a naturally inquisitive child, and he was a master of subtle things; what could possibly go wrong?

The pink-haired girl's erratic ball of chakra suddenly stopped bouncing. Sasori sighed impatiently and caught up with her, trying to think of what seized her attention this time.

Mild surprise confronted him when he came upon the sight of the girl staring at a vendor, with his wares laid out on a large table in front of him.

The seller saw him approach and stand behind Sakura, and he flashed a yellow-toothed smile at him. "Welcome, sir! Your daughter he was just admiring my beautiful marionettes!"

Sasori gave one glance at the simple wooden birds and almost scoffed. _Marionettes? _He wondered what will happen if he were to show the vendor one of _his _marionettes. His eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.

"Sister," he corrected blandly, ignoring a surge of upcoming contempt. "She is my sister."

"Ah, I apologize! I was just thinking you were a tad bit young to have children!" He quickly turned his attention to Sakura. "Would you like to see them come alive, my dear?"

Sakura nodded vigorously. "Yes, please!"

Grinning, the man held one of the birds up and twisted the little key inserted on its back. He set the figurine down and it began to flap its wings in time while walking around in circles.

"Wow…" Sakura whispered, gazing at it with wide eyes.

"Pretty, aren't they? Their blueprint was designed by my father! Only thirty ryou!" the vendor chirped.

Sasori couldn't stand it anymore. He was _not _going to stand here and watch this lowly salesman corrupted a Haruno on the ideas of _marionettes_.

He had an idea. An idea that will get Sakura interested in his line of work….

Sasori increased the pressure of his chakra, raising its killing intent and sent an icy glare to the vendor. "Allow me," he motioned to the bipedal bird.

"Go ahead, my good gentleman!"The vendor raised a mocking eyebrow. He'd been at this for fourteen years; he can tell when a customer, shinobi or not shinboi, wasn't impressed.

He felt Sakura as well as more than a couple of curious pedestrians stare at him as he moved into place behind the stall. The hawker moved aside, giving him room. He raised his left hand, watching his captivated audience.

A chakra thinner than hair shot out from the tip of his outstretched finger, invisible to all the audience members except for Sakura. With a tiny twitch of a muscle he split the string into several strands, attached one to each of the bird's limbs. He flicked his finger up and the bird responded by flying into the air, flapping its bulky wings at the same time.

By now, the spectators had grown into a small crowd, and a thunderous roar of claps ensued once they realized that flying wasn't part of the original mechanisms.

Their delight didn't matter—he knew he had Sakura captivated now. She walked slowly, almost reverently over to him, and tugged on his other sleeve.

"Nii-sama, I would like to learn how to do that." Sakura said softly.

Sasori gave her a small pat on the head, and looked towards the vendor. "I'd like ten of these, please."

* * *

**So...what did you think?**


	4. Rouge

**Fifteen reviews! :3 thanks :D**

**Bloodline activation time. Lots of dialogue.**

* * *

They were silent as they made their way back to the Inn at a brisk pace, Sasori clamping down on her hand with his own, squeezing her bones together painfully. But she didn't mind.

The Sun was positioned directly overhead, pounding down furiously on the two redheads as they weaved in and out of the festival's crowds. Sakura felt her breathing hitch as they rounded another corner at a breakneck speed, the clang of gongs and drums dropping their pitch in a warbling note as the wind whooshed by. She was sprinting to keep up with her cousin's pace at this point. Sweat trickled down her scalp and stained her new kimono. A muted sort of excitement coursed through her, the kind that children felt before opening their birthday presents. _I'm going to…_

Dust stirred up around them on the unpaved road path of the alley, and the five year old coughed, simultaneously tightening her grip on the bag that held her ten new toys.

Her cousin was going to teach her how to move them, to animate them with those surreal strings like spider silk that draped from his tapered fingers. They were fascinating, fascinating because the moment she saw them zip out and attach themselves to the wooden bird, it was as if she had finally woken up from a long slumber. The image had seared itself into the back of her retina, replaying over and over again.

But it also had another effect on her. All five of her senses seemed to have heightened tenfold, as if Sasori's strings were a splash of cold water. The effect was breath taking.

New color seemed to flood into the world around her, resulting in her having to squint her eyes to adjust. It gave each and every single person a unique shade, a unique color of their own. Some were muted, like the hundreds of the villagers around her. With exhilaration, she could sense _each _and _all _of them, even the ones that were four blocks away. They were like little blobs of floating spheres flaring, arcing in response to their embodiments' actions, to each banter and each shout and each laugh.

But out of all of them, Sasori's was the brightest, like a beacon of dark, almost maroon crimson. It was blinding—it didn't sweep her off her feet, but it was blinding. And it was close enough to nearly suffocate her, which is why she isn't spouting off any questions to him at the moment. She had so many things to ask him, too!

The second most affected sense was her sense of smell. Each color around her also had their distinct flavor, a taste that shared their owner's flair. Her lungs were almost choking in the sea of scent, permeating from all of the people around her.

The strength of their scent also corresponded with how bright their lights were. Some were barely there, a lingering wisp of sweetness. Yet she can probably write a detailed list of everything her cousin was giving off- a mixture between crushed roots used for dyes, dry wind, fine sand, and pine.

She felt like something inside her had finally awakened, activated.

"We're here," Sasori suddenly said, snapping Sakura out of her reverie.

True to his word, they were now ascending a narrow flight of familiar wooden stairs, and within seconds, they had reached the door of their rented room. Sakura sensed several other people in their respective rooms down the hall. Sasori unlocked their door with the same technique he used earlier with the puppets, a bright blue string slithering out from the tip of his index finger. It went inside the keyhole and turned the lock.

The door swung open, and he dragged both of them into the hotel room, switching on the large electronic fan at the same time.

"Put everything except for your books and the birds on the bed." He commanded, and Sakura followed, tired from their sprint but still excited.

He motioned for her to sit down on the wooden planks, doing the same himself. She chose a spot as far away from his overwhelming presence and sat down, throwing her bags in front of her.

"I was going to introduce you to my form of art later, but seeing as you are interested and circumstances allow us to, I will start now. So, little cousin, what do you know about ninjas?"

The question caught her off guard. What _did _she know? Well, Sasori was certainly one himself…

"That am I, Sakura."

Sakura blushed a little, realizing she must have said it out loud.

Sasori sensed her embarrassment, but he ignored it and continued on. "To put it simply, they are people trained in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Most of them live in the five major Hidden Villages; Kirigakure, Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure. "

Sakura nodded, mentally repeating the information even though she'd already knew it from reading.

"Ninjas are ranked by how powerful they are…from the lowest Academy student to the highest S-class nukenin, there are many classes in between."

"And which one are you, Nii-sama?" She asked.

A smirk tugged at the corner of her cousin's mouth. "S-class, and I became a missing-nin as of a week ago."

Sakura sucked in a nervous breath.

"I betrayed my village, Sakura, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a terrible person. I just have different goals and ambitions than the people I in the Sand. Though I suppose I am a bit ruthless, I am better than most traitors."

She frowned, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay. So, you want me to be a ninja? You won't be telling me this if you didn't want me to."

_She's observant. Her childhood in the Mist had served her well. _

Sasori let an impressed look take form on his face. "Sakura, would you rather stay by my side, learn the art of puppeteering; or return to the Sand, where you will dwell with Chiyo and long for your parents for the rest of your life?"

"I…" Sakura thought for a moment. She didn't have an answer for that.

"Our grandmother is also a puppeteer, to tell you the truth. In fact, she was the one that taught me the skills. However, it is highly unlikely that she will teach you. After I…. failed to integrate into the Sand, she has become unwilling to take another pupil. If you return, you'll most likely be under her care, but she won't teach you anything. Besides, you are from the Mist. Not many people trust Mist villagers." Sasori reasoned.

Her frown deepened. "Then that means…"

"If you go to the Sand, you be raised in a sheltered environment. Chiyo will keep a very close eye on you, watching over you every single mom-ent of every single day. In a few years, she'll send you off to the civilian Academy. Then, when you grow up, you will marry into a civilian family and spend the rest of your life as a wife and mother."

_That's exactly what Mama and Papa wanted me to do_, Sakura realized. "But I don't want to do that," she blurted out, not fully registering what she said until Sasori started talking.

"Exactly. You only have one choice if you want your life to be more meaningful than that. You must stay with me, accompany me and Hoshigake-san to Amegakure."

"Why are we going-"

Sasori completely ignored her question. "And if you wish to stay by my side, then you have no choice but to become a ninja. And not only will you become a ninja, but you will become one of _the best ninja ever_." Each word was stressed, and Sakura winced from the heady scent of wood rolling off of her cousin.

Her frown deepend. "And how am I going to do that?"

"You will be my servant and kill in my name."

Sakura felt little pinpricks of fear running across her skin. "K-Kill? You want me to kill?"

"Yes. The underlying fact that no one can deny is that ninjas are tools for killing, and nothing more."

"I don't think I can…"

"But at the same time, I will see to it that you aren't neglected in your path towards becoming the greatest of the great. I will be your brother, your guidance, your everything while you train and labor for me. Expect waking up at dawn and collapsing after midnight every single day for the next decade of your life. The life of a ninja is demanding." He paused, and Sakura gulped.

"I will even give you the love your parents had given you if you'd like." At that, his beacon of energy pulsed, the maroon blurring into magenta for a second.

The thought of her parents tugging painfully at her heart, and she fought the urge to cry again. Once her brain processed what he'd just said though, she gulped. _Sasori-nii might just be my best chance._

But he wanted her to _kill _for him. He sounded serious, too. She barely knew her cousin, but then again, going to the Sand sounded much worse. And even if she did say no to him, what would he do?

And more than everything else, he promised he will _love _her—love her like Mama and Papa did.

And to a five year old orphan, that mattered more than anything.

After a tense, long minute, she finally spoke. "Will…will you really love me, Nii-san?" She asked tentatively.

"Yes, Sakura. I will try."

"Then…" Her face hardened with resolve. "I will go with you."

That was the right answer. "Good. I would've abandoned you at this hotel tonight if you hadn't chosen that."

She paled, and felt the blood drain from her face.

At the sight of that, Sasori did something unexpected.

He_ laughed_.

The sound was a light chuckle, like the tinkling of deep wind chimes. It the same time, it was reserved- as if he was trying to hide his amusement. It was a surprisingly pleasant, tickling her ear. Sakura felt a tiny bit of weight lift off of her at her cousin's unexpected action.

It was a sound she'd remember for the rest of her life.

The melody was short played, however, as he grew serious again. "I was not kidding, Sakura. Also, you must stay with me because I am the only person who can tell you more about yourself. You are special."

At this, Sakura perked up. "What do you mean, Nii-sama?"

"Sakura, your father wasn't a horse merchant all his life."

The sudden mention of her parents brought a fresh wave of pain, the pain that was suppressed the entire morning. "But…" She began to protest.

"If you want to learn, listen to me and do not interrupt!" She quieted. "After he married your mother, he changed his last name to Haruno to hide his heritage from the leader of the Mist."

"But the Mizukage only wanted people who have bloodline limits!" she exclaimed. Sasori gave her a pointed look…her eyes widened.

"We come from a clan rich with history. Much of it was lost during the Third Shinobi World War when many of our ancestors died. Chiyo, our grandmother, was the only survivor. She was the only child of an only child—our clan was fairly small."

"So I have a kekkei genkai?"

The corners of Sasori's lips curled. "Indeed. And you lucky enough to have a powerful form of it. Tell me, little cousin. Are you seeing colors and smelling things?"

Sakura gasped. He _did _know a lot! "Yes! How…how did you know?"

"Clan records." Sasori tossed a rumpled book at her. It seemed to have appeared into his hand out of nowhere. Sakura grabbed for it, immediately running a hand over the yellowing paper. "We are a clan that specializes in chakra control."

Sakura impatiently flipped the book open, and was greeted by a large diagram of a family tree. "Chakra?"

"I think of it as one's life force. It is a mix of our spiritual energy and physical energy, both of which can be increased with proper training. Many people, even experienced ninja, find it hard to sense chakra. It can be a deadly mistake to misinterpret your opponent's chakra."

_Life force…unique…._ "So, um…are the colors and smells I'm seeing is a person's chakra?"

"Correct."

"Can everyone see them like that?" When Sasori raised a questioning eyebrow, she continued. "I mean, I can almost see everyone around town right now. Like next door, there is someone with a pale blue chakra that smells like coriander. And down the street, there's a vendor with bright yellow chakra and it stinks of rotting paper. Both of theirs are pretty faint, not that bright. And for you, Nii-sama, your chakra is really, really bright."

_She must be talking about how big the chakra reserves are. _In fact, everything she mentioned so far matched up. Sasori forced himself to take a deep breath. He really hit the jackpot…if he remembered correctly, then Sakura will be the youngest clan member to activate the bloodline limit.

_She has potential, indeed._

He prayed that the Akatsuki's leader would see that, too.

"The answer is no. You are unique, Sakura. And if you can learn to control that sixth sense, you'll be incredibly powerful." _And perhaps surpass me one day._

Sakura smiled, flashing pearly teeth. "You have the same bloodline limit, right?"

"Yes. Yours is a lot more advanced than mine than I first activated, but yes, I do."

"And does our bloodline limit have a name?"

Sasori thought for a moment.

"It is known as the Crimson Massacre. But that is not important, because you can't use the full definition of that name yet. Your abilities are just the tip of the iceberg. Now, I will teach you how to harness your chakra and use chakra strings."

* * *

For the next three hours, Sasori relentlessly drilled her on how to carefully channel her chakra to her fingertips and then push them out with the force of her mind.

It was a lot harder than it sounded, and Sakura hated how easy her cousin made it look. It took her twenty minutes of trying to shoot a measly thread of green from her index fingers. Sasori assured her that she was making progress.

And while she practiced, he also set five large books on her head so she can practice balancing and multitasking. Five minute intervals of pushups and sit-ups were also thrown in, basic muscle exercises.

And that was how Kisame found them, with Sakura panting and shaking as her nonexistent biceps flexed underneath the weight of the books.

"Two more!" Sasori reminded her, perched at the desk and a book in hand.

"AH!" Suddenly, the little girl collapsed into a quivering pile on the floor, the books crashing into her tiny frame and almost burying her. Skinny arms encircled her head, tiny hands fisting pink locks.

Kisame winced. "I see you two were busy." He commented.

Sasori sighed, closing his book. He looked up at the ex-Mist nin and arched an eyebrow at him. "Can you reign in your chakra? Or cloak it at least? You're driving her into a sensory overload." Sakura whimpered in agreement, curling into a little ball.

Mind working quickly, it was Kisame's turn in narrow his eyes. "So?" he challenged. But he couldn't help but to feel a scrap of pity for the sweating child before him.

"So? You're going to kill her. That's a waste of a perfect bloodline container for our organization." Sasori replied.

"Chakra sensing? Is this the awesome bloodline you were talking about?" Kisame scoffed to himself, knowing fully that this can't be all to it for Sasori to consider bringing his cousin to the Akatsuki. But he did so anyways, dampening his rather immense storage of chakra.

Sakura recovered almost immediately, uncurling and sitting up to breath a large sigh of relief.

"Thanks!" She chirped.

Kisame ignored how sunny she looked, even in a sweat-stained kimono and her bubblegum hair tousled. Turning instead to Sasori, he cleared his throat. "We have to get going. Tomorrow, you-" he spared a quick glance at the girl. "and you—are going to meet the Leader of one of the most powerful organizations ever."

* * *

**Any comments are appreciated! The action starts soon. Mwah~ :)**


	5. Ruby

**Screwed up timeline, screwed up timeline. Thanks to all my reviewers/favorites/followers! I'm super excited to write the rest of this story..**

**AND A HUGE THANKS TO newtonslaw for notifying me that I posted the wrong chapter...that was SO embarrassing. Anyways, you can say thanks to her for the ACTUAL chapter below. :3**

* * *

"We're here."

Sakura felt a large hand shake her roughly, grinding her arm painfully against her shoulder blade.

"More sleep…" she mumbled to herself, trying to bury her face deeper into the heat that the soft black fabric she was grabbing onto. Ignoring the incessant shaking, she whined a little.

In response, she heard a sound of annoyance. Deep vibrations hummed through the cloak beneath her, and she felt a finger press down on a pressure point. She yelped.

A chuckle rumbled underneath, and she felt her rib cage rattle.

"Finally, you're awake." A voice distinctly Kisame said. "Now look. This city is where you'll be living for the next few years of your life."

At that, she jolted out of the depths of sleep, rapidly blinking to clear her eyes of sleep. _Amegakure, _she thought. Her arms, clasped around a strong muscular neck for the past five hours, tingled. She reached one hand up to rub at her eyes.

And gasped at the sight before her.

From her perch on Kisame's wide shoulders, she can see a nauseatingly sheer drop leading from the edge of the cliff that the nukenin stood on. Only the heels of his sandals remained on solid ground, and his toes dangled over an intimating cityscape.

A few hundred feet below, there was a bustling city, bursting with skyscrapers that soared above them. Telephone lines stretched like spider web, connecting the vast domain. It was a labyrinth of large signs and walkways that extended from building to building. One can easily travel from one side of the village to the other without touching the ground once. It was almost a floating city.

One that was designed for ninjas.

She could pick the shinobi out from the people crossing back and forth on the walkways—their colors—no, _chakra signatures_, stood out brightly against the dull gray background. Sasori taught her that the more powerful someone is, the vaster their chakra is.

And right now, she was being hit with the strongest chakra signature of all—the overpowering expanse of white that hovered over the city like a protective shield, a leviathan guardian. It was even larger than Kisame's massive storage of dark blue, which was truly intimidating. She can feel each pulse pass through her bones as the owner breathed. _How can someone be so powerful?_

Yet the city itself was the true wonder to behold. The metropolis of metal glinted dully in the cloudy sunrise, shimmering like a smoky diamond. It smelled like the soil after a rainstorm, refreshing and pure. In a distance, steel gray clouds were stained a bloody red as the sun worked its way up behind a veil of rain-laden clouds.

She simply stared at the breathtaking view for a few moments.

"Welcome to Amegakure." She felt Kisame smirk, and noticed that she was pressing the side of her face against his cheek. They were close, way too close. She cringed away, a slight blush dusting across her fair cheeks.

"S-sorry!" She squeaked.

He chuckled. "Hold on tight, little girl. We're leaving."

Then, without another warning, he started to move.

Sakura felt cold, skin-numbing wind slash at her exposed skin. It whipped her shining pink locks around her face as Kisame leaped from the edge of the cliff. He sailed through the air and she gripped his shoulder until her knuckles went numb, praying that she wouldn't fall off. A scream bubbled up at the sight of the city of metal and rain rushing at them, but she forced it down as Kisame landed gracefully on the side of a building, sticking to barred window with chakra.

It was scary, but at the same time, the most exhilarating feeling ever.

For a few seconds, Kisame pressed them casually against the window, his body the only thing between her and the ground a hundred feet below.

"That was so _cool_!" Sakura exclaimed, giggling. The villagers traversing between the buildings underneath barely batted a lash at their passing. No one even noticed them! "Do that again! Do that again!" she urged, forgetting for a moment that she was speaking to an S-class criminal.

Kisame grinned. "Didn't know you had a thing for heights, kid. Maybe your chakra affinity is wind. Who knows?"

With that, Sakura felt his chakra surge, and he jumped again, zipping through the air. Sakura cheered, encouraging Kisame to go faster. They bounced lithely from tower to tower, sometimes switching to scamper across the thin wires, with Sakura smiling and laughing with glee the entire time. Finally, they reached the tallest, largest building at the center of the village, the same building that throbbed with the white chakra.

"Aww…" She said. It was over already!

"Don't be disappointed. You'll learn how to do that soon."

Then, Kisame reached backwards and unceremoniously plucked Sakura from his shoulder, depositing her on the soggy ground in front of the immense building. Sakura felt her knees buckle from inactivity, and she stumbled, feeling blood pound to her thighs. A pair of sky-high double doors loomed before her.

"Here we are—the Akatsuki's main base." Kisame announced, his baritone rumbling. He beckoned her to follow as he entered, the door swinging open for him. Inside was a tall lobby with clean, cold linoleum floors and plain black walls. It was empty save for the two of them, and their footsteps echoed hollowly.

"Akatsuki? What's that? It sounds like a dango company." Sakura commented.

"Sure. We sell ten different flavors, and carry out to four shinobi nations." Kisame snorted, strolling across the gloomy lobby in a few quick strides. Sakura struggled to catch up, running after his gait.

"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Forget it, brat." Kisame just shook his head.

She shrugged, and bounded after him as he entered a door-less elevator at the end of the hall. He punched a couple of buttons on the side panel, and she barely managed to lunge in before the tiny compartment soared upwards, zooming past dark hallway after dark hallway.

They rode in a strange silence for awhile, until Sakura realized that a very familiar redhead was missing.

"Er, Kisame-san. Where is Sasori-nii?"

"Near. He's been negotiating with my superior. You're the one who can sense chakra, aren't you?"

Pink eyebrows knitted together, and Sakura frowned. Being constantly exposed to Kisame and Sasori was helping her become more accustomed to large signatures, but it was almost impossible to detect anything besides the smothering white chakra that surrounded her. It wrapped around her with a vice like grip, intent on keeping track of her every movement.

And they were getting closer and closer to it…

She squirmed slightly, trying to shrug off the suffocating feeling. She hated small spaces.

Suddenly, the elevator grinded to a halt, and Kisame stepped out before it came to a full stop. Sakura was more careful, walking into the carpeted hall only after the elevator became still. Kisame had already made it to the door at the end of the hallway, knocking on it. The raised voices arguing behind it immediately fell silent.

"Come in." A low, commanding voice intoned. Sakura shivered. That voice definitely belonged to the owner of the white chakra.

Kisame pulled open the slab of wood, letting in a stream of light that temporarily blinded her. And just as he was about to step in, the voice spoke again. "Not you, Hoshigaki. Haruno, enter." Her heart lurched at the sound of her name.

The blue-skinned man growled with annoyance, stepping aside from the slightly open door. "You heard him, brat." He called to her.

Sakura steeled her rapidly melting resolve and scampered over to him, ducking into the door way. It slammed shut behind her, almost making her jump at the chakra being pushed towards hers. Whiteness blurred her vision, and she was temporarily blinded.

When it faded away, she found herself standing only three steps away from the source of the enormous chakra powerhouse.

He sat, reclined against a leather back chair behind his desk, wearing the same high-collared black robe as Kisame. The white-lined crimson clouds gave his stark features a regal polish, his arms placed steadily on either side of the large desk. Behind him, light streamed in from the window, illuminating his head of spiky, flame-tinted orange locks. And his face was adorned with countless black piercings, including three down the bridge of his nose. His entire person, posture, chakra, voice and everything else spoke of endless power.

But his eyes were the ones that conveyed the most—lavender, with rings of black surrounded his pupil. Calculating, endless, and all-knowing. Pained.

And they were boring straight into her apple-green ones, as if drilling straight into her soul.

"Sakura Haruno," he called in the same deep tenor, making her quiver. "It is my pleasure to meet another member of your clan."

_What should I say? What should I say?_ She mentally panicked, working furiously to untangle her tongue. She ended up nodding mechanically, jerking her head up and down. She did not trust herself to speak right now—but compared to his level greeting earlier, her reply seemed rude.

The man did not seem offended. He observed her for another moment, as if analyzing every single feature, memorizing every single flaw. And after what felt like an eternity, he finally turned his head slowly to the side.

"She looks weak, Sasori, extremely weak. And her chakra pool is verging on being nonexistent." Sakura bit her lip at that. Sasori had warned her about the things people would say to her at this point in her life, but it hurt to see how lowly she was compared to such a powerful man.

Her cousin, who was standing to the right of the flame-haired man, looked unfazed at the raw comment. "I've already told you, Pain-sama. She only started her training yesterday, when she expressed her interest in becoming a puppeteer. And I do not agree with you. She has astoundingly amazing chakra control, and can already use chakra strings. Besides, she has already made enormous progress on her kekkei genkai, considering that she'd only activated it yesterday."

"You also said she inherited the more powerful version of it."

"Yes."

Pain settled his unwavering gaze at Sasori for a few moments, as if challenging him for defiance. Then, he suddenly whipped around, capturing her gaze again. "Show me your abilites."

Hesitantly, Sakura took out a wooden mannequin from the pocket of her plain black hoodie and set it on the ground before her. Sasori had given it to her while they were traveling yesterday, letting her practice with it.

She raised her shaking left hand, feeling the heavy gaze of both Pain and Sasori on her scrawny arm. Taking a deep breath, she flushed her chakra through her system, a trick Sasori had taught her during their brief tutoring session yesterday. She let the searing coolness rush through her in an attempt to calm down.

Then, she sent five full strands of chakra through her finger tips, constantly adjusting the amount to stretch to the figurine and attaching them to the limbs. She wriggled her fingers in quick, smooth patterns, concentrating on making the marionette weave and spin and somersault.

"That's enough," Pain suddenly said. Startled, Sakura retracted the strings in while the puppet was in mid jump, and it collapsed in a pile on the floor. Sakura stared at the lifeless pile of wood hopelessly.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, child." Nervously, she lifted her gaze from the puppet and directed it towards the stormy purple orbs. "I'll acknowledge that you show prodigious amounts of chakra control; in fact, you are better than most genin ninja. But I will be forced to dispose of you if that is the only thing you have in your arsenal. I am the leader of an entire nation as well as an exclusive organization, and therefore I have my own plans and strategies to devise. That leaves me with no time to train a petty orphan. Your cousin may be Sasori of the Red Sand, but you are Sakura of nothing to me."

Sakura winced, feeling the last comment bite into her. _No! He can't kill me…I've already promised Sasori-nii-san…_

"However, you should thank whatever deity you believe in that Sasori is very articulate with his ideas. We have formed an agreement for his membership, and if you are lucky, the terms will include you as well."

She blinked. She couldn't believe her ears! He was giving her a chance!

"But first, I need to confirm you are valuable to me. Tell me how many people are in this building."

_He wants to test _me, she realized. Not wanting to disappoint, she quickly focused on probing for signs of other chakra signatures excluding the one sitting right in front of her. _Pain, Sasori, Kisame…three on the floor below, a huge one near the middle, and five below the ground floor…and myself…._

Eager to please, Sakura answered. "Thirteen."

"List them from ascending order from weakest to strongest, and describe each of their characteristics."

"Um, the pale brown one at the base floor is the faintest, and it smells like ground pepper, and then there's one next to it that's slightly stronger…"

The question and answer session dragged on for arduous, tense period of time, the questions becoming harder. Finally, Pain held up an affirmative hand, motioning for her to stop.

"Good, very good. It seems that you are the sensor type, like most of the holders of your bloodline, though your sensing range is rather small. Now, I assume that Sasori had told you what your bloodline will eventually evolve into, hasn't he?"

"No…" Sakura whispered, sending a pleading glance t her cousin for help.

"What she means that is that I haven't had the chance to yet." Sasori responded smoothly. "Pain-sama, if you will."

Pain sighed, but showed no outward signs of anger as he drummed his fingers on the wooden desk. "Are you familiar with chakra natures?"

"Yes. Sasori explained them to me yesterday… they are the element of ninjutsu that is the easiest for someone to learn. There are five main ones. Fire, water, earth, wind, and lightning." She recited.

"Correct," Sakura beamed. "But incorrect at the same time." Her face fell again. "It is true that those are the five main elemental affinities one's chakra can retain, but, there are two more." Pain held out his left hand, cupping it out towards her.

"There is also yin," Sakura felt her breath abandon her lungs as chakra from the atmosphere pooled to Pain's hand and a limp, seemingly dead mouse materialized. "And yang." With his other hand, he covered the furry rodent and with a burst of chakra, it scurried to its feet and began sniffing his hand.

Even Sasori seemed impressed.

"The abilities of these two natures are vague. You can say that the yin release represents the spiritual part of chakra and yang represents physical chakra, but yin release is also a form of genjutsu, manipulating one's mind and making things appear out of nowhere. Used simultaneously, the two are devastating. What I just did was creating something from my imagination and breathing life into it with my own chakra."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully, staring at the mouse, which was now attempting to climb up Pain's cloak sleeve. "So you can basically make a genjutsu so powerful that it becomes real?" she asked, amazed.

"Correct. And your bloodline ensures that you will eventually have the same ability. Come."

Hearing her heartbeat thunder in her ears, Sakura shuffled towards Pain. He gracefully set the mouse on the floor and held out a plain, ordinary looking sheet of paper to her, motioning for her to take it. Sakura accepted the vanilla-colored square, rubbing the coarse texture against the pad of her thumb and index finger.

"What you are holding is a sheet of paper manufactured from chakra-sensitive trees. It will display the characteristics of your chakra affinity when you channel your chakra to it. Try it."

Sending a burst of chakra up her hand, Sakura did as she was told and…gaped.

Once her wispy, mint colored chakra made contact with the paper, the sheet began to fade away, becoming more and more transparent. It disappeared slowly until Sakura was left with nothing but air between her fingers.

"Awesome…" she murmured.

"Indeed," Pain replied. "Yin release is a powerful tool to have. It allows you to shape anything you wish from seemingly out of nowhere in an instant. With practice, you can also weave complex genjutsu, and have chakra control so fine that you can manipulate the chakra in the atmosphere with a mere thought."

Sakura grinned at the prospect. Even though she didn't understand some of it, she got the gist of the idea, and it sounded pretty powerful. "I must be lucky to have it."

Pain nodded. "Less than one percent of shinobi have it as their natural affinity. If you can learn to harness it well, then…" he glanced to Sasori, who nodded grimly and cleared his throat.

"Sakura," her cousin began. "I intend to take you as an apprentice, and Pain has already consented to this. Along with my duties as a member of his organization, the Akatsuki, I will train you rigorously for the next four years, until your ninth birthday. During this span of time, you will also complete the standard ninja Academy curriculum for both the Rain and the Wave. Afterwards, you will start simple missions and favors for Pain."

"Know I will exterminate you immediately if you become useless." Pain added, his voice taking on an aggressive note. "You must work hard, orphan. Being trained by the Scorpion is an opportunity many ninja will give their souls for, and it seems that Kisame has taken a liking to you as well."

Sakura took a deep breath, recalling again that she chose this life for herself yesterday when she agreed to come with Sasori. "I accept," she said, willing her voice to sound confident. "I mean…I'll try my hardest. I've already promised Sasori-nii that I train hard for him, and become the best of the best."

Pain studied her. "Good, you have the proper determination. You are dismissed." He pushed a pair of silver keys around the desk towards her. "Go down three floors, and you'll find the very last room empty. That is where you'll be staying from now on. Sasori and I will finish discussing our matters."

Sakura happily pocketed the keys, noting how it was midmorning already. But just as she was about to turn and leave, she had a sudden thought.

"Pain-sama?" she asked meekly. "What is your chakra affinity?" The man never specifically told her, and she was curious.

An unreadable expression crossed the man's face. "That is something you should find out for yourself."

Sakura blinked, but did not push her luck. Grabbing her keys, and raced out of the room, head swirling with thoughts and questions for the future.

* * *

**And that's it! Tell me what you think and please point out any mistakes..I don't have a beta or any editing skills **


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